


The Duel Of 1778

by definitely_not_trash



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Gen, He gets shot, Maybe It Is I Don't Know, Platonic Lee/Burr, i hope you like this, mild gore I guess, this is not very historically accurate at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 22:31:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13622850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/definitely_not_trash/pseuds/definitely_not_trash
Summary: This is literally like Ten Dual Commandments as a story. Hope you enjoy.





	The Duel Of 1778

Philadelphia December 22nd, 1778.  
Aaron breathed out a heavy sigh as he paces the tent, hand resting on his forehead before travelling down across his buzzed hair to rub at his neck.  
“Oh Charles...“ he sighed, turning to the other male present in the tent, “Why do always get yourself caught in these situations?”  
The other man gave a solemn shrug, not seeming too worried about the current situation,  
“I dunno, it’s my opinion, John n’ Alexander didn’t have to get so riled up about it because they both share a mutual hate for me,” he huffs in distaste.  
“You need to learn to keep your mouth shut and only speak when it’s appropriate,” Burr retorted, “Sure, they may have overreacted with the proposal of a duel, but calling Washington out like that was definitely not an appropriate thing to do. Why didn’t you just apologise? Save the needless bloodshed for the battlefield instead?” Aaron continued to pace as he ‘lectured’ the other man.  
Charles rolled his eyes, blowing a lock of light chestnut brown hair out of his face as he watched the other man pace intently.  
“It’s my damned opinion! Why should I apologise for something I assume to be true?! Thanks, but no thanks, ‘Mother,’” he grumbled out in response.  
“So you’d rather get shot over something as insignificant as a disagreement because your too haughty to apologise?! Come on! Think for once will you, this is explicitly what I was talking about!” Aaron crosses his arms, staring the other man down as he started to lose his temper. Yeah, he loved Charles a lot, but his incompetence in understanding when not to speak, or what was appropriate to say about your general drove him mad.  
Aaron takes a deep breath, calming himself down before speaking,  
“This isn’t worth getting more aggravated about. If you’re so adamant about having this duel to defend your ‘opinion’, then so be it. I obviously can't stop or reason with you any further. Goodnight, sir,” he gives a respectful nod before pushing the fabric covering the entrance out of the way, stepping out into the night, immediately hit with the crisp December air.  
The first thing he notices is Alexander, leaned up against a post as he stared dead on at Aaron,  
“Evening, sir,” he grins slyly, making Aaron rather uncomfortable.  
“Were you... spying on me?” Aaron narrows his eyes, staring back at the shorter man before him.  
“Spying? No. I just happened to be walking by and overheard you trying to get some logic through that thick skull of ol’ Charlie there,” he moves his head to motion over to the tent the male had previously been in. The comment Alexander made merely draws an eye roll from Aaron.  
“At least I’m not encouraging this behaviour.”  
“Mhm. Well, try all you like, but he’s never going to change his mind,” Alexander snickers, soon sauntering off, most likely to go find John. Aaron sighed once more before returning to his own tent, thinking about everything that had happened in the few previous days.  
Philadelphia, December 24th, 1778.  
Charles brushes down his military frock as he looked himself over in the mirror. After pushing his side swept-hair back into place he grabs the dark overcoat and a pistol before exiting the tent.  
It was still dark outside just barely into the early hours of the morning. It was custom to duel before the sun rose in the sky. Charles makes his way to where the duel was to take place, ignoring the stares he got from the soldiers guarding the camp at the time. A billion thoughts raced through his head as he soon found himself being greeted by Aaron, ushered off to be prepared for when the other men showed up.  
“You’re sure you don’t want to apologise? There’s still time, Charles,” Aaron asked, visibly nervous as the duo waited for John and Alexander to arrive.  
“Yes. I’m sure, Aaron.”  
Charles wasn’t sure, and he knew it. Something gnawed at him, deep down inside telling him to just do as Aaron said. He pushes this feeling of fear and worry deeper down, taking a deep breath in and closing his eyes for a brief moment as he tried to reassure himself,  
“I’m sure…” he mutters before opening his eyes.  
Eventually, John and Alexander arrived, a doctor not far behind them.  
“So you actually decided to show up? Took you long enough,” Charles scoffs, soon receiving a sharp slap on the back from Aaron.  
“Don’t make this any worse, Charles,” Aaron mumbled to the other man in a stern tone, soon looking Alexander as John goes to get ready himself.  
“Alexander, can we agree that duels are dumb and immature?”  
“Sure, but your man has to answer for his words, Burr.”  
“With his life?! Now we both know that’s just absurd!”  
“Hang on! How many men died because Lee is inexperienced and ruinous??”  
Upon hearing this statement Lee glares over at Alexander, stepping to get closer, being stopped by Aaron.  
“Okay...I guess we’re doing this then.”  
Alexander and Burr move off to the side, standing opposite of each other as the two other men grab their pistols.  
They stand face to face as the countdown began.  
“1 2 3 4,” They cross pass each other, “5 6 7 8 9,” they simultaneously ready their guns, “Number 10, paces, and fire!  
Two piercing gunshots break the silence that had engulfed the hills, followed soon by an equally loud scream of agony from Charles as he crippled to the ground. He immediately clutched his side, trying to keep the blood from gushing out of the wound. By the time Aaron got to him, blood had already started to bubble out between his fingers, soaking and staining the white fabric of his frock.  
“Lee, do you yield?!” Alexanders voice broke the silence once again. Before Charles could even respond, if he could even respond, Aaron screams back.  
“You shot him in the side! YES, HE YIELDS!” The three men looked up as someone shouts  
“Here comes the general!”  
“This should be fun,” Aaron muttered as he tried to calm Charles down and help him up.  
“What is the meaning of all this?! Mr Burr, get a medic for the general,” he shouts, pointing at the bloodied figure of Charles on the ground.  
“Yes, sir!” Aaron gently laid Charles back down before rushing to his feet to get the doctor.  
“Lee, you will never agree with me, but believe me that these young men don’t speak for me. Thank you for your service,” Washington looks away from the currently crippled major, bleeding out on the ground, turning to instead point at Alexander, “Hamilton! Meet me inside!” He then walks off, Alexander trailing behind him.  
Upon returning as quickly as possible, Aaron helps the medic get Charles to the medical tent, laying him on the cot before quickly asking, “May I stay here? I’m sure he doesn’t want to go through the procedure alone,” he looks down at Charles, still in too much shock to verbally respond. Instead, he just gives a weak nod, rich blue eyes wide and tearful. The doctor sat beside Lee, setting a rag and a pair of forceps down next to him,  
“As long as you don’t get in the way,” Aaron immediately sits down on the other side of Charles, nodding quickly,  
“Plus, I may require someone to hold him down,” and with that he plunges the forceps into the open wound, eliciting a scream from Charles as a jolt of pain went through his whole body. His muscles convulse as he tried to move away. Aaron promptly took the man's hand into his own, holding his abdomen down with his other hand.  
“Hey! Hey... it’s okay...I know it hurts, I know,” Aaron takes a breath in, “Just... relax, take a deep breath. You’ll be okay. The sooner we get the bullet the sooner you can rest,” Aaron gently caresses his hand in a calming way, thumbing over knuckles as Charles lets out another sound of pain,  
“Shh...it’s okay…” Aaron swallows thickly, biting his lip as he gave his hand a gentle squeeze.  
The doctor digs around in the wound more, making the receiving man gasp out agony, letting another scream of pain slide past his lips, tears now steadily streaking and rolling down his cheeks.  
“It’ll be okay...you’ll be okay...I-” Tears start to gather in Aaron’s eyes as well, the sight of Charles in so much pain made Aaron feel sick. He moves his hand from his abdomen up to his cheek, gently wiping his tears away with his thumb,  
“P-please don’t cry...i-it’ll be okay...I-I promise,” He mumbles, his other hand continuing to gently caress his knuckles. The procedure went on for another 15 to 20 minutes, the doctor soon fishing the bullet out of Lee’s side. He rinses it off, setting it down on a tray next to the cot.  
“There...It’s out, you’re okay-” Aaron mumbled, trying to comfort the other man as the doctor said.  
“Well, he’s lucky that the bullet missed his bones, meaning he won’t have to worry about blood poisoning or bone fragments. As long as he doesn’t develop an infection, he should be fine. I’m just going to suture the wound and then we’ll be finished,” as he said this he goes to grab a needle and thread, coming back to begin sewing the wound closed.  
At this point, Charles barely felt anything, his whole body felt numb with pain, his eyes red from the tears.  
“It’s okay…You’ll be okay...” Aaron tries to reassure Charles, but now it feels more like he’s just reassuring himself. The doctor gives a sharp tug to the sutures, closing the wound tightly. Charles inhales quickly, gritting his teeth before letting his jaw go lax. Aaron removes his hand from Charles’ cheek, taking in a shaky breath as he stared down at the man before him, wiping his own eyes, which had started to gather tears.  
“I-...” Charles coughs weakly, “I-I...A-Aaron-” He was shaking, gasping for breath just from those few words, “I-I’m sorry...I should have-,” he gasps, “Should’ve listened to you…”  
“Shh...It’s okay...It’s okay... you did what you thought was right, even if it wasn’t, and that’s what matters,” Aaron murmurs, “Just rest up...Hopefully, you’ll feel better after sleeping for a bit,” The doctor had now dressed Charles’ wound with bandages, soon leaving the two men alone in the tent. Aaron moves to stand as well, stopping as Charles’ brow furrowed with an anxious expression.  
“Do-Don’t leave...L-leave me all a-alone,” Charles almost cried out, his voice just barely above a whisper.  
Aaron’s heart melted at the sad expression Charles gave him. He knew he couldn’t deny his request,  
“I-Alright, I’ll stay with you,” Aaron sits back down, bestowing the other man with a small smile as he saw him visibly relax, “I promise,” he mumbles, “Now rest up, the more you rest the more you’ll recover,” Charles nods gently, his head barely moving as he let his eyes slide closed.  
A few hours pass without interruption, Aaron just calmly sitting at Charles’s side as he slept. He hoped that his presence would help the other man have a peaceful rest, hoping that he felt safe as he slept.  
Eventually, Alexander cautiously enters the tent, immediately gagging at the thick scent of blood in the air,  
“My God it smells like somebody died in here!”  
“Shh! Charles is trying to rest,” Aaron huffed, sending a glare Alexanders way, “What do you want, anyway?”  
“Washington is making me check up on Lee,” he rolls his eyes, “It’s not like I want to be here. I’d much rather not, honestly,”  
“Well, he’s fragile at the moment, but doing well. Resting as I mentioned previously-” Aaron stops mid-sentence to look down at Charles, who had mumbled something incoherent, shifting significantly. Aaron gently pats his arm, hoping to relax him.  
“Mhm, well anyway. I’m curious, Burr,” Hamilton said, leaning against the tents support post.  
“Curious about what?” Aaron rose a brow, quite intrigued.  
“Why do you care so much for Lee?”  
“Well, because he’s my friend, and friends care for each other, no matter how badly the other messed up,”  
“Wow, I’m so touched,” He rolls his eyes sarcastically, “Anyways, I bear more admirable things to arrange than sit here and prattle on with you,” he stands up straight now, flattening his frock down. Charles shifts a bit more, his eyes cracking open just a bit  
“Hm…?” he mumbles, a little delusional considering he’d just woken up.  
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Aaron looks down at him, shifting to focus his attention on Charles instead of Alexander.  
“Feeling...Um,” he bites his lip softly, frowning in slight confusion, “oh…Uh, better…?”  
“Well, that’s good,” Aaron smiles softly, gently patting Charles’s shoulder, “You’ll hopefully be able to get around without too much difficulty soon,” Aaron mumbles almost to himself. Charles soon nodding lazily in response, the pain in his side dulled to a throbbing ache.  
‘Hopefully…? What’s that supposed to mean?’ Charles thought absentmindedly to himself, his eyes already feeling heavy once more.  
“I-I’m still k-kind of tired…”  
“Just rest if you’re tired,”  
“But I don’t want to rest anymore…” Charles gives Aaron a look of defeat, shifting a bit again from where he lay.  
“I don’t know what to tell you Charles,” Aaron frowns, scratching his chin a bit, “Just, rest if you wish, if not then don’t. It’s all up to you,” Aaron gently squeezes his shoulder, giving him a small smile. The two remained quiet for a few moments before Aaron spoke up again,  
“Are you hungry? I can get you something if you want,”  
“A-a bit,” Charles spoke, “Yeah, that’d be nice,”  
“Alright, I’ll be right back okay?” Aaron stands as he said this, Charles not even bothering to vocalize his response, gives a light nod before letting his head relax again the pillow. His eyes slide shut as he heard the sound of the tent flaps being opened, before closing moments later.

Philadelphia, January 7th, 1778.  
Two weeks pass since the duel, and Charles had found himself returning to his own tent, his side feeling much better, as he was able to walk with the help of a cane. He currently was writing his final letters before being relieved of command and sent home for a year.  
He reads over his words before signing it off, putting it into an envelope and sealing it with a wax seal, neatly writing ‘A.Burr’ on the front of the envelope before getting up, he had one last person to see before he departed.  
He knocks on the wood of Aaron’s tent before walking in, the other man looking up sharply as he said,  
“Hello? Ah, Charles, hey. I hear you’re returning home today?”  
“Indeed, I am,” he gives Aaron a sad smile, “I came to give you this before I left,” he hands the other man the envelope.  
“Ah, thank you,” Aaron takes it, setting it down on the small table beside his cot, “Here, let me help you get mounted and ready to go,” Aaron stands to walk with Charles as he left.  
“That would be much appreciated,” Charles nods, walking back out into the cool morning air.  
As he said he would, Aaron helps Charles to get ready to leave, helping him up onto his horse before saying,  
“Well, I wish you good travels, and I hope to see you again after the war is over,”  
“As do I. I give you many thanks for all the help you’ve given me,” Charles nods, “See you after the war, Aaron.” and with that he sets off, Aaron watching until he couldn’t see him any longer. Aaron returns to his own tent, unfolding the letter Charles had written. He pulls the slip of parchment out, reading it over as a few tears gather in his eyes.  
He then notices something else in the bottom of the envelope, pulling it out to find it was a small pendant necklace, the metal at the end having a small dog stamped into it. Aaron’s eyes water more, and he holds it close to his chest.  
“Oh Charles…”


End file.
